SWIHA Blog

For many people, the first day of school can be filled with unexpected surprises. That certainly was the case for Tamara Lucero, who found herself in quite a messy situation when she stopped at her local gas station on the way to campus.

“As the fuel pumped and filled my tank, I began to daydream what my first day of class would be like,” she remembers. “As I stared off into the clouds, I suddenly heard what sounded like water running. I looked down and realized that the gas pump had malfunctioned and soaked me in gasoline—from my shirt to my socks!”

With no spare time to trek back home and change clothes, Tamara sped off to the nearest store, where she ran through the aisles, dripping gasoline, searching for a new pair of clothes. She snagged the nearest t-shirt and a pair of shoes, hurried through the checkout line, and then bolted into the store’s bathroom to change. Only then did she discover that the shirt was far too small and read “BATMAN” across the chest, and the shoes were at least a full size too big! “It is what it is,” she told herself, and then hurried off to her first day of holistic nutrition classes at SWIHA—S.O.U.L. Food with Instructor Melanie Albert.

“Still reeking of Super Unleaded, I walked into class and saw a beautiful table topped with a lot of veggies, fruits, and other foods—most of which I could not identify.” Tamara recalls asking Melanie to tell her the name of one of the vegetables; Melanie replied that it was a beet. “Good to know,” Tamara thought to herself. “I thought it was a chakra!”

Although she didn’t “speak SWIHA” yet, Tamara was fascinated by encountering these new and strange foods: “Melanie passed around what looked like a lemon, yet when she cut it open, it was really a cucumber. We prepared a lot of food in just a few hours, and I was so proud since it was well-known that I couldn’t cook. At the end of the class, we enjoyed an awesome meal together that was healthy, tasty, and amazing.”

Yet, was Tamara an instant convert to the ways of whole and raw foods? No way! “I went home and ate two hotdogs,” she confesses with amusement. “Yep, hotdogs!”

This truth hits close to home for anyone who has wrestled with their relationship with food or who perhaps didn’t have early childhood exposure to what it means to eat healthy. “I was raised on processed food,” Tamara shares. “I love macaroni and cheese, hotdogs, hamburgers, and everything processed. Yet at the age of 42, I was tired of trying one diet after another—all which, in the end, left me feeling defeated and unhealthy.”

While she says that she still struggles with making the “right” food choices for herself, Tamara also has gained self-acceptance and patience on her journey toward better understanding holistic nutrition. “Sometimes it is easy to make a healthy choice, and sometimes it is not; I now have a much better understanding of the difference, and I make much healthier choices than I used to,” Tamara says candidly. “This is a process, and you don’t have to be perfect! That was a life-changer and one of the greatest lessons I learned at SWIHA. I have learned to enjoy a guilt-free love of food and life, and it feels amazing!”

While Tamara enrolled in SWIHA’s Holistic Nutrition program with the intention of working on her personal growth, she was compelled to develop her business in the process! My Holistic Adventures is an adventure-based coaching company which uses Tamara’s passion for the outdoors, healthy foods, and helping others as fuel. “I invite clients to enjoy natural foods in nature, keeping it simple,” Tamara explains. “Clients and friends can join me on a hike, a camping retreat, at a park, or at a farmers’ market for sessions in life coaching, nutrition coaching, and hypnotherapy.”

Since graduating from SWIHA, Tamara has guided My Holistic Adventures into being a participant in the Apache Junction Wellness Expo and a vendor for the recent Just Be Love Festival. Reflecting on her journey so far, she wants to thank Dee, Melanie, and Janet Lee for being the “Three Nutritional Musketeers,” Loren Evans for teaching her priceless workshop-planning skills, and Lisa Grunwald and Linda Bennett for helping guide her conscious mind to be open to receiving. “The best part of this adventure is the personal growth, self-love, and self-acceptance you will gain,” she says. “Once you have that, your passion will shine through to other people!”

About the Author Alexandra Comeaux

Alexandra Comeaux is a Writer and Editor for SWIHA’s Department of Online Education. She holds an MFA in Poetry and a BA in English Literature from Arizona State University. When she’s not writing and creating content, her interests include self-development, biohacking, and filmmaking